---
title: 'To Live (1994)'
type: 'film'
director: 'Zhang Yimou'
released: '1994-01-01'
runtime_minutes: 132
genres:
  - 'Drama'
countries:
  - 'Hong Kong'
  - 'People''s Republic of China'
canonical: 'https://cinepixo.com/movies/to-live-1994'
review_count: 0
imdb: 'https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110081/'
publisher: 'CinePixo'
---

# To Live (1994)

1994 · 132 min · Drama · Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

Original title: 活着

## Synopsis

To Live, also known as Lifetimes, is a 1994 Chinese drama directed by Zhang Yimou and adapted from Yu Hua's 1993 novel of the same name. The film spans the 1940s–1970s, tracing the Xu family's survival through the Chinese Civil War, Great Leap Forward, and Cultural Revolution. It won numerous prestigious international awards, and despite domestic censorship, is widely respected for its portrayal of ordinary resilience under political duress.

## Credits

- **Director:** [Zhang Yimou](https://cinepixo.com/people/zhang-yimou)
- **Screenplay:** [Yu Hua](https://cinepixo.com/people/yu-hua), [Lu Wei](https://cinepixo.com/people/lu-wei)
- **Original Music Composer:** [Zhao Jiping](https://cinepixo.com/people/zhao-jiping)
- **Producer:** [Chiu Fu-sheng](https://cinepixo.com/people/chiu-fu-sheng)
- **Director of Photography:** [Lü Yue](https://cinepixo.com/people/lu-yue)
- **Editor:** [Du Yuan](https://cinepixo.com/people/du-yuan)

## Cast

- [Ge You](https://cinepixo.com/people/ge-you)
- [Guo Tao](https://cinepixo.com/people/guo-tao)
- [Gong Li](https://cinepixo.com/people/gong-li)
- [Jiang Wu](https://cinepixo.com/people/jiang-wu)
- [Niu Ben](https://cinepixo.com/people/niu-ben)

## Criticism on CinePixo

No reviews published yet.

Source: https://cinepixo.com/movies/to-live-1994
Film facts: Wikidata (Q151784); synopsis from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Reviews, themes and notes are the work of this site's members.